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27Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 11 (2015 8) 2721-2733
УДК 376.42
The Genesis of Formation
of Mentally Retarded Primary Schoolchildren's
Learning Motives
Elena A. Chereneva and Dmitry V. Cherenev*
Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V.P. Astafiev 89 Ada Lebedeva Str., Krasnoyarsk, 660060, Russia
Received 03.08.2015, received in revised form 23.08.2015, accepted 11.10.2015
The article presents the results of a theoretical-experimental study of the genesis of formation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's learning motives. The authors identified typological groups and the main features of their manifestation in the studied category of schoolchildren.
Keywords: motivation, motivational factors, learning activity, mentally retarded (MR) primary schoolchildren.
DOI: 10.17516/1997-1370-2015-8-11-2721-2733. Research area: pedagogy, psychology.
1. Introduction to the research problem
In recent decades, the majority of teachers and psychologists have considered motive as the most intellectual form of activity regulation. The researchers of learning activity's motivation claim that more efficient learning in school does not suppose what a child knows and can do, but how much he wants to acquire these academic knowledge and skills (L.I. Bozhovich, E.P. Il'in, A.N. Leont'ev, N.G. Morozova, L.S. Slavina, V.D. Shadrikov, H. Heckhausen, B.D. El'konin, etc.). In this regard, the issue of increasing the efficiency of learning activity on the basis of motivational factors is relevant in special pedagogy.
© Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved
* Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected]
Taking into account this approach, the scientists carried out studies in the following areas: the study of the motives of going to school and learning activities of normally developing schoolchildren (L.I. Bozhovich, A.N. Leont'ev, A.K. Markova, M.V. Matiukhina, D.V. Soldatova, etc.), the impact of motivation on the efficiency of schoolchildren's activity (Z.I. Kalmykova, I.Iu. Kulagina, B.P. Martirosian, etc.), the study of the impact of cognitive processes' development on mentally retarded schoolchildren's learning motivation (V.N. Braitfel'd, L.V. Kuznetsova, etc.)
It should be noted that the ways and means of learning motives' formation developed in pedagogy, as a rule, do not cover the whole
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process of a schoolchild's activity in class. The work on schoolchildren's learning motivation occurs at only one stage of the class, most often at the beginning. The motive is to be built by schoolchildren themselves in the course of their activities in class. Teachers can only contribute to the process of formation of schoolchildren's learning motive.
However, almost all of these ways and means of formation of learning activity's motivation involved only children with normal intellectual development. With regard to mentally retarded primary schoolchildren, the researches stated only the fact that the positive motivation of activity contributes to their more sustainable and long-term efficiency, their perseverance and independence at work, more successful and effective learning, which leads overall to higher efficiency of mentally retarded schoolchildren's activities.
Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's motivation to learn can not sustain learning activities for long and gradually loses its significance. Therefore, it is very important to form learning motivation in primary school to make learning activity significant (N.L. Belopol'skaia, L.V. Kuznetsova, I.Iu. Kulagina, M.S. Pevzner, U.V. Ul'enkova, etc.).
The psycho-pedagogical data on the forms of learning activity's motivation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren indicate that the main defect (usually organic) distorts the formation of successful learning activity (N.L. Belopol'skaia, N.I. Luskanova, T.D. Puskaeva, etc.).
At the socio-pedagogical level the relevance of the research is conditioned by the social mediating of learning activity, as well as the leading role of education in the development of an abnormal child (L.S. Vygotskii). The learning activity of a mentally retarded primary schoolchild is an important source of mastering a curriculum and achieving success in learning.
These schoolchildren stand in need of effective technologies that enhance the efficiency of learning activity. A pedagogical technology, based on individual motivational learning factors that relate to the socio-psychological competence of a person having influence on a person's socialization in general, may be one of them.
At the scientific-theoretical level, the relevance of the research is conditioned by an insufficient number of studies and formulations of theoretical bases of correctional work aimed at improving the efficiency of learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren based on motivational factors. It stipulates a need for the development of a pedagogical technology to increase the efficiency of the learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren based on motivational factors as an essential component of a learning process.
At the scientific-methodological level the relevance of the research is related to the fact that in the modern theory and practice of special pedagogy researchers' attention is focused on the development of the techniques and methods of training mentally retarded primary schoolchildren. There are almost no scientifically grounded methodological solutions for carrying out the correction pedagogic process aimed at increasing the efficiency of the learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren based on motivational factors.
The study of the scientific literature and the analysis of the practical experience on the issue of the research revealed some contradictions and inconsistencies in the organization of the learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren between:
- the traditional forms of training and mentoring in special education, and an inadequate account of the available potential of the use of motivational factors of mentally retarded primary
schoolchildren's learning activity at Russian lessons;
- an insufficient state of knowledge of the features of increasing the efficiency of learning activity on the basis of motivational factors and characteristics of the use of a technology to increase efficiency in schools;
- an objective need to introduce the methods and techniques to the structure of learning activity for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of the assimilation of a curriculum by mentally retarded schoolchildren and the lack of pedagogical technologies and means ensuring the development of the prerequisites (motivational factors), which would increase the motivation for learning by schoolchildren themselves.
2. Conceptual justification of the research
In recent decades, the majority of teachers and psychologists have considered motive as the most intellectual form of activity regulation. The researchers of learning activity's motivation claim that more efficient learning in school does not suppose what a child knows and can do, but how much he wants to acquire these academic knowledge and skills (K.A. Abul'khanova-Slavskaia, Sh.A. Amonashvili, L.I. Bozhovich, V.V. Davydov, E.P. Il'in, N.L. Kolominskii,
A.N.Leont'ev, M.V. Matiukhina, V.E. Mil'man, N.G. Morozova, M.S. Neimark, A.A. Rean, L.S. Slavina, V.D. Shadrikov, H. Heckhausen,
B.D. El'konin, etc.). In this regard, the issue of the ways to form learning motives is most acute and urgent in contemporary special pedagogy.
The motivation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's learning activity is the most important parameter of the personality and has a practical value in a learning process. According
to G.I. Zharenkova, if a primary schoolchild does not have an effective motivation that encourages him to learn, his classes will not be efficient enough.
A poorly developed motivational sphere of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren is a significant component in the structure of the defect, which hampers schoolchildren's learning and development (N.L. Belopol'skaia, T.A. Vlasova, M.S. Pevzner, V.I. Lubovskii, U.V. Ul'enkova, etc.). The normalization of activities should be carried out during classes and after them. The ability to control mental processes and organize activities in accordance with an assignment is formed in schoolchildren's learning activity at school. When a child understands their learning objectives, it makes learning activity conscious, motivated (N.L. Belopol'skaya, L.I. Bozhovich, G.I. Zharenkova, Z.I. Kalmykova, M.A.Luk"ianova,N.I.Luskanova,U.V. Ul'enkova,, etc.).
3. Statement of the problem
According to E.G. Beder, exploring the motivation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren, he identified that if a child has their own internal position of a schoolchild, it is the first sign of the motivational readiness for learning activities. The second feature of motivational readiness is an adequate level of development of cognitive motives. The schoolchildren experience the formation of curiosity which is not directly related to the solution of practical tasks. Moreover, according to V.N. Braitfel'd, going to school is the most appropriate way to meet their increased cognitive needs. T.A. Vlasova's studies showed that the presence of one social motivation without direct cognitive interest is insufficient for successful assimilation of knowledge.
Iu.G. Dem'anov believes that the knowledge acquired in the absence of cognitive motivation coming from learning activity does not affect
the overall mental development of a child. The presence of cognitive needs and interests must be seen as a necessary prerequisite for adaptation to school. By the end of preschool age, new motives, both social and purely cognitive, arise in motivational sphere. They make a child's transition to systematic schooling natural.
The second finding of T.V. Egorova is the hierarchy of motives which is formed by the end of pre-school age. As a result, some motives come to the fore and become dominant, while others are subordinate.
According to V.I. Zykova, preschoolers give priority to the motives which are mediated by their structure in the arisen hierarchy. They are mediated by the patterns of behavior and the activity of adults, and by social norms that act as motives guiding the behavior and activities of children. As a result, children at this age can overcome desires and act according to what is "right". The hierarchy of motives gives a certain direction to a child's behavior, allows subordinating private situational impulses, arising from a child, to more significant objectives, although they might be put aside for some time.
The presence of a mechanism of motives' subordination suggests that a child has developed their own subordination of actions ensuring the implementation of available motives. The formation of general arbitrariness is completed by school age, although the behavior of a child going to school changes the mechanisms of behavior in the form of a hierarchy of motives and arbitrary organization of external behavior. Social norms act as the motives that guide the behavior and activities of a child. The appearance of motives' subordination led by mediated motives is seen as a key arbitrary mechanism on the whole.
I.Iu. Kulagina found that a poorly developed motivational component of psychological readiness for school adversely affects the acceptance of a school situation and reduces the
effectiveness of learning. Due to the fact that mentally retarded primary schoolchildren do not have a well-formed motivation for learning activities, it is necessary to use alternative methods of the formation of learning activity's motivation (playing, competitive) for a gradual transition from playing activities to learning ones.
By the age of seven mentally retarded children have some preconditions for the transition to schooling. The preconditions of motivation are determined by:
- A child's ability to act in a purposeful manner in the conditions hindering the achievement of goals;
- The ability to give up on an available pleasure for an intended pleasure;
- The emergence of the first conscious subordination of one action to another;
- The improvement of the verbal regulation of activities (verbal planning in particular).
We believe, today the study of the characteristics of learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren is not paid enough attention. Consequently, an early diagnosis of mental retardation is usually carried out after mental retardation begins to be clearly observed. The specificity of mental retardation lies in its clear manifestation only in the process of schooling. U.V. Ul'enkova offers a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis of psychological readiness for schooling and offers the following parameters for the development of a child's mental activity: the level of development of motor coordination; substantive and formal aspects of speech; sustained attention; the strength of memory; the peculiarities of thinking; efficient activities; performance; the characteristics of social and personal behavior. The author proposes to study these features in a natural experiment: the monitoring of a play
and collective relationship of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren.
L.I. Solntseva found that mentally retarded primary schoolchildren do not take interest in researching while carrying out class assignments; they have difficulties in directing efforts to assimilate actions and face a fast loss of their actions' purpose.
U.V. Ul'enkova identified the differential-diagnostic parameters of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's mental activity. To do this, she had drawn up and approved a psychodiagnostic complex. The results showed that mentally retarded primary schoolchildren tended to the preferential infringement of the parameters of affective-personal sphere, efficiency and other general characteristics of the activity on the background of extremely low indicators of intellectual-gnostic activity.
Having examined the activities of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren in inventing paired words in the conditions of different motivation, N.L. Belopol'skaia found that the effectiveness of activity was determined by the number of involuntarily memorized words. A motivation to play is more effective than a motivation to learn, which is associated with the emotional reinforcement created by a playing situation. The introduction of a play to classes had a psychotherapeutic effect on the efficiency of activities in the following series of tests when the number of involuntarily memorized words increased. Based on the experimental study, N.L. Belopol'skaia concludes that there is a developmental lag of the most intellectual form of playing activity - playing by the rules. Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren do not grasp the meaning of the whole play, dissecting it into individual steps that have a separate meaning for them. Taking the above into account, N.L. Belopol'skaia thought it was necessary to carry out a phased presentation of assignments
with the assessment of the level of each stage's performance.
The dynamics of learning motivation is the subject of I.Iu. Kulagina's research. Her research confirms the need for education of mentally retarded children in special conditions, as well as the data on the improvement of schoolchildren's learning motivation enrolled in a special (correctional) school of type VII. Mentally retarded schoolchildren enrolled in a regular school demonstrate an inferiority complex formed at the end of the first grade. Schoolchildren enrolled in a special (correctional) school of type VII demonstrate a bigger potential of mental development.
In addition to the motivational component, the structure of personal readiness for school includes a component of volitional organization of activity. This aspect of activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren has not been properly studied.
G.I. Zharenkova identified some features of volitional organization of activity in her study. She studied the peculiarities of activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren on an illustrative example and a verbal instruction. Schoolchildren had to complete the assignments to design figures of a mosaic, copy the same figures, and describe them in a text. The obtained results indicate a lag in the development of actions of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren on an illustrative example and on a verbal instruction in particular. G.I. Zharenkova associates it with the peculiarities of voluntary regulation of behavior of mentally retarded schoolchildren, with their disorganization, impulsivity, a low level of self-control. These features appear in the process of performing assignments in the course of learning activity and in extracurricular work. Based on the obtained results, G.I. Zharenkova concludes that the use of the data, obtained in the process of applying extra-curricular assignments, as
predictors for the evaluation of specific difficulties which mentally retarded children will experience in learning is appropriate.
S.A. Domishkevich identified the lack of the formedness of emotional-volitional processes, which the majority of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren demonstrate. Based on these results, the author concludes that the lack of volitional processes of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren does not allow them to demonstrate their potential for intellectual tension in a full manner.
The clinical studies of M.S. Pevzner, G.E. Sukhareva, etc.indicatetheunderdevelopment of cognitive activity, a meager supply of information about the world, the difficulties in solving problems, the underdevelopment of analysis, synthesis, comparison, the lack of interest of mentally retarded children in creative assignments.V.I. Lubovskii noted that they are characterized by the inertia of nervous processes, although they quickly absorb simple, differentiated forms. N.L. Belopol'skaia found that the lack of attention of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren significantly hinders successful assimilation of learning material. Analyzing the studies of L.I. Peresleni, we can conclude that with aging, the processes of perception of mentally retarded schoolchildren gradually approach the level of normally developing schoolchildren. With aging, children's reaction to sensory signals increases, but a significant number of schoolchildren continues to lag behind the norm on these parameters.
T.V. Egorova identified a low efficiency and stability of memory, a weak development of mediated memory, reduced intellectual activity during memorization in mentally retarded primary schoolchildren.
V.L. Podobed revealed the shortness of memory disorders - mentally retarded schoolchildren lag behind this parameter for 2
years at the age of 9-10. It was found that at the age of 6-14, they experience equalized memorization of all kinds. With aging, logical processes begin to melt into the memorization of not only a meaningful, but also nonsense material.
Z.I. Kalmykova noted that mentally retarded schoolchildren keep insignificant details in memory, omitting more important ones. Thus, the lack of memory is conditioned by the weakness of mental activity.
N.A. Nikitina notes irritation in the learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren, as well as the refusal to perform complex actions that require conscious assimilation of a new material.
T.A. Vlasova revealed that mentally retarded primary schoolchildren are characterized by increased sensitivity to comments, the failure to respond for fear of being wrong, and an inadequate reaction to teachers and parents' comments. Mentally retarded schoolchildren are also characterized by a learning disability, which is manifested in low susceptibility of knowledge, the lack of vocabulary.
V.L. Podobed notes, in turn, the situational character of a monologue speech of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren.
N.S. Sivova believes that a mentally retarded regular schoolchild is unsuccessful, aware of their insolvency, that leads to the emergence of the feeling of inferiority, attempts to compensate, which remain unsuccessful.
According to I.F. Markovskaia, in order to assimilate the material of any academic subject, schoolchildren must possess necessary common skills and activities' techniques. What it involves is the ability to understand an assignment and analyze it, contemplate and plan for the proposed work, monitor the accuracy of the assignment's performance, talk about the work done and evaluate it. The features of the learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren are
most vividly manifested while doing crafts at the lessons of labor training, where schoolchildren act in the system of developed and externally well-defined requirements. The clarity and completeness of the individual phases of activity in class can detect, above all, a poorly developed analysis of a product sample and the sequence of operations that is crucial for all subsequent work of a schoolchild. Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren limit themselves to a cursory inspection of the sample, without isolating its essential features, and immediately start doing crafts. Such thoughtlessness, impulsivity and poor orientation in the assignment lead to many erroneous actions. Some of them are immediately corrected by children, but most of the errors remain uncorrected. At this stage of activity, many schoolchildren overestimate their abilities, as evidenced by the results of their work.
4. Research Methodology
The methodological basis of the research was the provisions on the social and historical nature of the development of needs and motives of activity and motivation as the most intellectual form of activity regulation (L.I. Bozhovich, E.P. Il'in, L.S. Slavina, H. Heckhausen); the position of the unity of normal and abnormal development (L.S. Vygotskii); the theory of stage formation of mental actions (P.Ia. Gal'perin, N.S. Talyzina), the theory of the activity approach in shaping the personality (V.V. Davydov, A.N. Leont'ev, D.B El'konin, etc.), the theory of the system approach to solving problems of correction (O.L. Alekseev, L.S. Vygotskii, V.V. Korkunov, A.R. Luriia, etc.); the position of the psychological structure of the personality, the unity of the social and biological in the conditioning of its development (B. G. Anan'ev, L.S.Vygotskii, P.Ia. Gal'perin, V.V. Davydov, A.N. Leont'ev, A.R. Luriia, S.L. Rubinstein, V.D. Shadrikov, etc.); the theory of the relation of interests and motives in learning activities
(K.A. Abul'khanova-Slavskaia, L.V. Zankov, A.N. Leont'ev, A.K. Markova, N.G. Morozova, L.S. Slavina, D.B. El'konin, etc.).
One of the essential features of learning activity is the lack of its regulation by means of speech. This is reflected in the fact that mentally retarded schoolchildren have difficulty in adequate verbal reporting; they do not have a clear designation of the sequence of produced actions. Along with that, the descriptions of minor petty things are common. In addition, progress reports indicate the difficulties in speech processing, the vagueness and lack of variation of vocabulary and used grammatical forms of speech.
As S.G. Shevchenko revealed, the violation of the regulating function of speech adversely affects the ability to control activity. Schoolchildren do not often notice the inconsistency between their work and an illustrative example, do not always find the mistakes made even after an adult's request to check the work performed. An insufficient development of the ability to describe the example verbally is characterized by listing all the existing features along with poorly developed processes of analysis and comparison, which leads to imperfect evaluation of the results of the work performed and the way to receive it. Schoolchildren can not adequately motivate their own assessment, which, as a rule, is exaggerated and given beyond the comparison of the work performed with an illustrative example. After schoolchildren are asked to explain why they assess their work in one way or another, they give hasty answers, do not often correlate an unfortunate result with an erroneous action.
Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's speech is characterized by poor vocabulary, primitive grammar, although it meets the need to communicate, does not contain gross violations of pronunciation and grammatical structure of speech. Practical language generalizations of mentally retarded schoolchildren are not well-
developed compared with normally developing peers. Phonemic representations are diffuse and not variable enough in the use of grammatical means. The ideas about subject-quantitative relations and measuring skills are formed more slowly than in the case of schoolchildren with intact intellect. The main difficulties in teaching the Russian language are: mentally retarded schoolchildren often do not pay attention to an unstressed vowel, do not always understand that its spelling should be checked; and are unable to find a checking cognate word. It is necessary to develop the processes of analysis and synthesis, comparison and generalization, to help to generalize not only the lesson material, but also separate stages due to the fact that children find it difficult to keep all the lesson material in memory and associate the previous with the following. E.T. Sokolova found that laying the emphasis on the key moments promotes the formation of logical connections in the studied material.
Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren do not show a sufficiently proof interest in learning activities; they are inactive, passive, do not seek to improve their results, interpret the work on the whole, eliminate the causes of mistakes. T.D. Puskaeva notes that this leads to the fact that mentally retarded schoolchildren often continue to make the same mistakes. Their direct interest in the assignment quickly fades, especially when the difficulties, which they do not seek to overcome, arise.
An insufficient consideration of the features of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren leads to the fact that the difficulties conditioned by them are intensified due to the increasing complexity of a learning material. Therefore, the correction of deviations should be definitely performed in the training of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren. V.F. Morgun believes that with the proper organization of children's activities their mental activity normalizes (increases) and
mental operations are improved. This contributes to the realization of children's potential and increases learning efficiency in general.
Based on the theoretical study of the problem of formation of learning activity's motivation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren, we can conclude that in the process of studying and formation of learning activity's motivation of mentally retarded schoolchildren, it is necessary to take into account the internal position of a schoolchild, the structure of their motivational sphere, which will significantly affect the organization of the process of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's learning.
U.V. Ul'enkova notes that the study of the motivational sphere of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren should consider the following features of mental development of the studied contingent of the testees: poverty and narrow conceptions of reality; poorly developed sides of speech, the lag of inner speech, which is a significant obstacle to the implementation of activity's planning; inferiority in the development of the personality (cognitive interests and self-esteem do not develop, they do not want to go to school).
Besides, U.V. Ul'enkova convincingly proved the need for preschool and school diagnostic-correctional work with mentally retarded schoolchildren.
It is important to create special learning conditions, which correspond to the level of development of motivational and operational components of activity, for mentally retarded schoolchildren.
T.A. Vlasova believes that mentally retarded schoolchildren need being stimulated so that the interest in learning activity could appear. But the interest does not appear suddenly during a particular lesson; it emerges gradually as the accumulation of knowledge goes on, and is based on the internal logic of this knowledge. In this
case, the more a child learns about the subject of their interest, the more this subject attracts him.
M.S. Pevzner and T.A. Vlasova pay a special attention to the role of emotional factors in shaping the personality of a mentally retarded child, as well as to the influence of neurodynamic disorders (asthenic and cerebroasthenic states).
N.L. Belopol'skaia found that correctional work with mentally retarded schoolchildren should be aimed at changing the meaningful aspect of activity and restructuring the ways to assess its results. As schoolchildren of this category do not have school interests, they are characterized by the lack of responsibility in performing class assignments. A school situation is generally wasted on them. Hence there is a weak getting into learning activity, an inability to comply with school rules, to focus on a task, an inadequate formation of school motives. When such schoolchildren learn in a special (correctional) school and classes, they start to demonstrate interest in learning activity.
The available information on the formation of the motivational factors of learning activity suggests that motivation is formed in the course of learning activity determined by its structure and content. Mentally retarded schoolchildren have the same patterns of the development of motivation as normally developing schoolchildren. However, in the course of the training of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren, it was found that the delay of intellectual development prevents the formation of learning activity's motivation in the course of learning. It can be assumed that correctional education is necessary for its formation. Correctional education, that is not limited to transferring new knowledge or numerous reviewing of a learning material, and is aimed at the development of cognitive processes and creative activity, should contribute to the achievement of positive results.
In order to determine the attitude of mentally retarded schoolchildren to learning in general, as well as to individual academic subjects, Iu.A. Kulagina proposes to use a complex of methods: monitoring, conversation, paired comparison, interpretation of drawings and completion of unfinished stories. It was found that the favorite subjects of primary schoolchildren with mental retardation of cerebral-organic origin are Physical Education, Drawing and Mathematics. Music provokes conflicting attitudes - some children love it while others reject it. Besides, the majority of schoolchildren demonstrate a steady attitude to preferred and rejected subjects (Zeigarnik B.V. & Bratus', 1980; Zharenkova, 1975).
An attitude to learning of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren is caused by a variety of motives: in the first grade the main motives are a teacher's evaluation of learning outcomes, successful performance of a particular assignment, in exceptional cases there can be an interest in school life, organizational matters, which undoubtedly contributes to the development of a positive attitude to learning activities. Some schoolchildren manifest social motives of learning activity. In this case, mentally retarded schoolchildren consider the acquisition of knowledge, abilities and skills to be the most important; hard work and diligence are considered significant qualities. However, the social motives of learning activity are often not inductive, but their presence is very important for the development of motivation for learning activity of the studied contingent of schoolchildren. Some schoolchildren are attracted to the ease of learning and facilitated work in some classes in learning activity, but this trend is not dominant in primary school (Bozhovich, 1972; Cherenev; Domishkevich, 1977; Leont'ev, 1983).
Mentally retarded primary schoolchildren have the following possibilities for the generation of motivational prerequisites for learning activity:
the development of the motives of learning activity, still unformed and low self-esteem. The motivation that is adequate to the objectives of learning activity and able to increase its efficiency significantly can be generated under favorable learning conditions.
In order to determine the characteristics of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's emotional attitude to learning activity, we should note the average level of attitude, which is characterized by the presence of a positive, but not rather conscious motivation for learning activity, as well as indifference and a partly positive attitude towards learning activity and homework. A conscious positive attitude towards learning occurs later than in the case of normally developing schoolchildren, and its formation is much slower. The peculiarity of the attitude to marks in the initial stages of formation of learning activity is that it is usually not active and selective, and manifested in certain emotionally colored reactions. A mark directly depends on how it is taken by schoolchildren. Many schoolchildren do not understand the pedagogical value of a mark, for them it is just a condition for the formation of the attitude towards learning activity.
G.I. Zharenkova found that performing any academic assignment by the example, mentally retarded schoolchildren demonstrate no interest in learning, do not seek to analyze the meaning of learning activity. The model does not have the necessary relevance to them, which is typical for their peers with intact intellect. At the same time, according to N.V. Elfimova (Kulagina,1977; Zeigarnik B.V. & Bratus', 1980; Zharenkova, 1975), the interest in new assignments quickly disappears; they become satiated with learning activity and, as a result, tired and overwrought. Mentally retarded schoolchildren do not seek to improve their performance in carrying out identical assignments, do not take the search of
other possible methods of learning activities. The performance of assignments is often careless and inaccurate.
These features of learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren are caused by an insufficient account of their capabilities, an inability to submit the final result of learning activity and choose the means to achieve it and understand all the work entirely (Cherenev, Cherenev & Chereneva, 2013; Vygotskii, 2000; Zeigarnik B.V. & Bratus', 1980; Zharenkova, 1975). The study of the attitude of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren to their own mistakes made in the course of their activities on the example, conducted by T.D. Puskaeva, showed that schoolchildren neither noticed their mistakes, nor were aware of their causes. This category of schoolchildren was characterized by the gap between the knowledge of how to perform the work properly and its actual performance. When mentally retarded schoolchildren were pointed to their mistakes, they were often indifferent to this. Besides, they did not wish to correct the results of their work, understand the causes of difficulties and mistakes in order not to make them in learning in future.
5. Discussion of Results
On the basis of the theoretical-experimental analysis of the genesis of formation of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren's learning motives, we can formulate the following conclusions.
- The formation of the motivational factors of learning activity is a long and complicated process. Learning motivation is an integral part of the motivational-need sphere of the individual. Learning is a socially mediated activity in the process of getting experience, knowledge and skills needed in subsequent working life;
moreover, it involves self-development of the personality.
- The psycho-pedagogical data on the display of learning activity's motivational factors of mentally retarded primary schoolchildrenindicate thatthe maindefect (usually organic) distorts the formation of successful learning activity. In addition to poorly developed components of learning activity, mentally retarded primary schoolchildren demonstrate a specially formed learning motivation. As a rule, social motivation dominates; cognitive motivation appears in a lesser extent, the dynamics and stability of its manifestation are defective.
- The formation of the motivational factors of mentally retarded primary
schoolchildren takes place in the same way as that of their normally developing peers.
- The issue of increasing the motivational factors of learning activity of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren is not developed enough in the theory and practice of special education.
We believe that the correction developing activities aimed at the formation of the learning motivation of the studied category of schoolchildren will enhance the effectiveness of learning in terms of inclusive education, the development of schoolchildren's personality and their socialization. Significant opportunities in this respect can be provided by a set of targeted psychological and educational measures to promote the formation of motivational factors.
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Генезис формирования мотивов
учебной деятельности младших школьников
с задержкой психического развития
Е.А. Черенёва, Д.В. Черенёв
Красноярский государственный педагогический университет
им. В.П. Астафьева Россия, 660060, Красноярск, ул. А. Лебедевой, 89
В статье приводятся результаты теоретико-экспериментального исследования генезиса формирования мотивов учебной деятельности у младших школьников с задержкой психического развития. Авторы выделили типологические группы, основные особенности их проявления у исследуемой категории учеников.
Ключевые слова: мотивация, мотивационные факторы, учебная деятельность, младшие школьники с задержкой психического развития (ЗПР).
Научная специальность: 13.00.00 - педагогические науки, 19.00.00 - психологические науки.
